Current Affairs This Week (27-08-2017)

Walled: India’s first world heritage city
The 600-year-old Walled City of Ahmedabad was declared World Heritage City by the World Heritage Committee (WHC) of UNESCO after it met in Karlow, Poland. It is first Indian city get the honour.

Indian-origin persons on Fortune list
Five Indian origin persons, including Irish PM Leo Varadkar, have featured in Fortune’s annual list of 40 young and influential people in the field of business inspiring others with their work

Pokhran I: India’s first ever hands-on nuclear technology
The day was May 18 in the year 1974. On this day, the Indian government conducted its first nuclear test in the deserts of Pokhran, Rajasthan making it a peaceful nuclear explosion.

august 19: World Humanitarian Day
World Humanitarian Day is observed every year on 19 august to pay tribute to aid workers who have risked their lives in humanitarian service.

IISc: Copper-coated membrane makes drinking water safe
A team of researchers led by Prof. Suryasarathi Bose from the Department of Materials Engineering at IISc made the commonly used polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) water-filter membrane to prevent biofouling and kill bacteria.

‘New state of matter’ discovered
Researchers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory Scientists have discovered a potential new state of matter that may help explain phenomena like superconductivity.Superconductivity is extensively used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), particle accelerators, magnetic fusion devices, and microwave filters.

Google launches Android ‘Oreo’
Keeping up its tradition of naming its Android upgrades with delectable desserts, Google on 21st august launched its version 8.0 of OS as Android Oreo.The Oreo boasts a doubling of boot speed, an autofill option, and a longer battery life.

H1N1 Flue virus (Swine flue)
Swine influenza is an infection caused by any one of several types of swine influenza viruses. Swine influenza virus (SIV) virus (S-OIV) is any strain of the influenza family of viruses that is endemic in pigs.

Sir John Marshall : The legendary archeologist
Sir John Marshall was born on March 19, 1876 in Chester, United Kingdom.He was at the forefront of the archeology era in India being a prominent scholar who focused on the Indian archaeology scene.archaeology scene.

China launches first cyber court in e-commerce hub
China today launched its first cyber court specialising in handling internet-related cases in the e-commerce hub of Hangzhou, amid a spike in the number of online disputes.

Defence Ministry approves delegation of powers to BRO
The Ministry of Defence has decided to delegate administrative and financial powers to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to avoid delays on account of references between the Chief Engineer, HQ DGBR and the Ministry.

UK scientists developed world’s smallest surgical robot
British scientists have developed the worlds smallest surgical robot which could transform daily operations for tens of thousands of patients.
The robot, called Versius, mimics the human arm and can be used to carry out a wide range of laparoscopic procedures including hernia repairs.

RBI to issue Rs 200 note on 25th august
RBI to issue Rs 200 note on 25th august. The height of the note would be the same as the new Rs 500 notes that were issued post demonetisation. However, the width will be much less. “Dimension of the banknote will be 66 mm x 146 mm,” the RBI said.

Scientists create cyborg bacteria to produce fuels
Scientists at a UC Berkeley lab taught bacteria how to cover their own bodies with nanocrystals, which function as tiny solar panels that capture more energy than plants can.

OBC creamy layer raised to Rs 8 lakh from Rs 6L
The government will soon set up a commission to examine the sub-categorization of ‘Other Backward Classes’, or OBCs, even as it has raised the OBC creamy layer criterion to Rs 8 lakh from Rs 6 lakh, announced finance minister Arun Jaitley.

Supreme Court verdict against instant triple talaq
The Supreme Court banned on Tuesday a controversial Islamic practice of instant divorce as arbitrary and unconstitutional, in a landmark verdict for gender justice that will stop Muslim men calling off a marriage on a whim.

First National Sports Museum to be established in New Delhi
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is going to establish National Sports Museum, first of its kind, at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi. The decision was taken three months back and after a series of meetings and his personal visits to several locations in the capital, the current venue for museum was finalized by the Sports Minister.

Surrogate cow gives birth to calf
India’s tryst with cows continues and this time in a scientific way. With In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) technology a surrogate cow has delivered a calf. The IVF was carried out in a mobile laboratory which is a first for India especially at a farm level. The National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) have conducted similar experiments before at the lab-level.

India signs up an environment agreement with World Bank
The Union Government has partnered up with the World Bank for furthering the Green India initiative. The deal has a duration of 5 years and India will get a 24.64 million USD.

Former Manipur CM Rishang Keishing passes away
Former Manipur Chief Minister and a member of the first Lok Sabha Rishang Keishing passed away on 22nd august,following a brief illness. The veteran Congress leader served as the Chief Minister of Manipur from 1980 to 1988.

17th meeting of FSDC held in New Delhi
The seventeenth Meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) was held in New Delhi under the Chairmanship of the Union Minister of Finance, Shri Arun Jaitley. A brief report on the activities undertaken by the FSDC Sub-Committee Chaired by Governor, RBI was placed before the FSDC.

Closure of loss-making Bharat Wagon approved
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 23rd august approved the closure of loss-making Bharat Wagon and Engineering Company (BWEL), a Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Railways.

Cabinet approves MoU between India & Nepal
The Union Cabinet chaired by the PM Narendra Modi has given approval for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Nepal on Drug Demand Reduction and Prevention of Illicit drug trafficking.

Qatar restores diplomatic ties to Iran amid regional crisis
Qatar restored full diplomatic relations with Iran early Thursday, disregarding the demands of Arab nations now locked in a regional dispute with the energy-rich country that it lessen its ties to Tehran.

3,500 Rohingya reach Bangladesh in August
Rohingya’s are the group represents a mixture of precolonial and colonial immigrations. Thousands of Rohingya have crossed into Bangladesh since Myanmar announced a military build-up in Rakhine State earlier this month, community leaders said on Wednesday.

Karnataka eyes more rains with Varshadhare cloud-seeding
Cloud seeding is a way of making the wheather modification by dispersing substances into the air that serve as cloud condensation or ice nuclei, which alter the microphysical processes within the cloud.

2016 Wimbledon finalist Raonic pulls out of US Open
The 11th-ranked Canadian, the runner-up at Wimbledon last year, announced his withdrawal from this season’s Grand Slam tournament. Milos Raonic has become the latest top tennis player to pull out of the U.S. Open.

Supreme Court verdict on Right to Privacy
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court on August 24, 2017 unanimously ruled that the right to privacy was a fundamental right under the Constitution. A nine-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice J.S. Khehar ruled that “right to privacy is an intrinsic part of Right to Life and Personal Liberty under Article 21.

ITI targets 7,000-crore Army project
State-owned ITI is hoping to secure a 7,000-crore contract from the Indian army for providing and maintaining its strategic communication network over a 13-year period, according to a top official.

Defence ministry clears proposal to buy 6 Apache helicopters
The Indian Army will soon gets its first attack helicopters, after the Defence Ministry on Thursday cleared purchase of six Apache attack choppers at a cost of around Rs 4,168 crore.